Media comments on chess

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Roger de Coverly
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Jul 25, 2017 11:30 pm

Much of it is behind a paywall but Sir Geoffrey opinionates.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2017 ... atch-like/
England's coaching staff and players can't, or won't, grasp that a Test match is like playing chess.
Send for Svidler perhaps?

I'm not sure Boycott's analogy holds good. England's batting in the most recent Test, looking for the initiative at the cost of sound play had some resemblance to the style of the late David Rumens and others with similar methods.

Mick Norris
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Mick Norris » Wed Jul 26, 2017 8:24 am

Any postings on here represent my personal views

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Christopher Kreuzer
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Christopher Kreuzer » Wed Aug 02, 2017 3:48 pm

Neymar: Was this the moment PSG target decided to leave Barcelona?

"..."I use the analogy of chess," he said. "At Barca, Messi is the king but Neymar was the queen, and in chess you are never interested in sacrificing your queen. "If you sacrifice your queen for a knight or a bishop, it's always a bad deal. And that's what we're talking about here. We have sold our second most important piece and it is disastrous for the team.""

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Tue Aug 08, 2017 6:33 pm

David Howell has taken over as The Sunday Times chess correspondent.

Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Tue Aug 08, 2017 6:47 pm

I was watching the news recently and a Professor Jonathan Portes appeared as a pundit speaking with an American accent. Surely, I thought, that must be the 6 year old I 'coached' at chess in 1972? So I looked him up in Wikipedia and, indeed, he was born in 1966. I then wrote and he remembered me.

So what? His parents contacted me as a result of the Evening Standard London Chess Congress pre-publicity. They thought their son was a strong player, but couldn't take him to a chess club because, if he lost, he lay on the floor and sceamed. So I went to his house, we told him I was a strong player - after all I drawn with Bobby Fischer - and basically I beat down his ego. He was quite good and I persuaded the parents to enter him for the Novice section at the congress. In due course 444 players took part in a 6 round event.

We got hundreds of special prizes from companies eager for the publicity. Leonard Barden contacted Hamleys and first he introduced Under 12 prizes, then under 10 and finally under 8. As the parents said, they could see my influence trying to ensure Jonathan would get a prize. As indeed he did, with 3/6.

It had a substantial effect on British chess, Children that age had never before much competed in adult tournamnts.

Paul Cooksey
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Paul Cooksey » Tue Aug 08, 2017 9:25 pm

I'm not convinced this guy is actually a chess master, uscf seems to have him at 1800: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... mes-damore

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Aug 08, 2017 9:47 pm

Paul Cooksey wrote:I'm not convinced this guy is actually a chess master, uscf seems to have him at 1800:
That's "chess master" as a short cut description for a serious chess player who's actually reasonably good.

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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Paul Cooksey » Tue Aug 08, 2017 10:05 pm

Allegedly he claimed to be an FM on his CV. Better not to mention that, or to make up a more impressive title, IMO

Roger de Coverly
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Roger de Coverly » Tue Aug 08, 2017 11:17 pm

Paul Cooksey wrote:Allegedly he claimed to be an FM on his CV.
I tracked down the link
http://www.gorelab.org/James_Damore__CV.pdf
•FIDE Master in Chess (>99th Percentile)
•Board 1 and Conference Champion 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
•2nd in Nation Youth Action 2003 Chess Tournament
•Highest Ranked Rise of Nations Player in World 2004
I don't know what the other 3 bullet points represent.

If you check the FIDE rating site, I don't think he's ever been internationally rated, so the FIDE Master claim is a fabrication.

The USCF have him as completing the Norms for a "3rd Category Title"

http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrDtlMilest ... p?12876403

The wonders of Google(!) will find some tournament crosstables from his youth in US junior chess.

Ian Thompson
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Ian Thompson » Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:39 am

Roger de Coverly wrote:
•2nd in Nation Youth Action 2003 Chess Tournament
I don't know what the other 3 bullet points represent.
"Action chess" is what American's call rapidplay. It's saying he came 2nd in a junior national rapidplay tournament.

If you look at the link you've provided to his US rating records he was 2nd in the 2003 National Youth Action K-9 section (http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php ... 2-12876403). If K-9 means 9th grade in the American school system it would be for 14-15 year olds.

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John Upham
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I managed to beat an Independent Master who was more than 70-years-old

Post by John Upham » Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:05 am

A recent newspaper report about a player at Llandudno contained the following text :
I managed to beat an Independent Master who was more than 70-years-old
I found that slightly amusing. :D
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soheil_hooshdaran
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by soheil_hooshdaran » Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:09 am

What''s an Independant Master?

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John Upham
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by John Upham » Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:28 am

soheil_hooshdaran wrote:What''s an Independant Master?

Probably someone who has left home and is no longer living with their parents.

Maybe they are self confident and have strong opinions ?

FIDE do not award such a title but it may be worth suggesting.
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Stewart Reuben
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by Stewart Reuben » Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:04 pm

I managed to beat an Independent Master who was more than 70-years-old
Perhaps somebody who still reads 'The Idependent'?
Even assuming it was a typo for International Master, I don't think there was anybody playing who fits that description.

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John Upham
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Re: Media comments on chess

Post by John Upham » Wed Aug 09, 2017 12:08 pm

A TEENAGER has come in the country’s top 50 chess players at the British Championships.

Daniel Gallagher, 16, of Temple Way, Maldon, came 41st equal in the British Chess Championships held in Wales from July 28 to August 6.

The King Edward VI Grammar School student played nine games during the tournament, battling it out against some of the highest ranking adult players including Grand Masters (highest) and International Masters (second highest), many more than twice his age.

Daniel, a member of Maldon Chess Club, won three games, drew three and lost three, getting a total of 4.5 points of a possible nine, with a point earned for each win and half for a draw.


Daniel is ranked within the top 20 under 18 players, and recently won best performing England player at the Five Nations Glorney Cup, and played in the European Junior Chess Championships in Prague in 2016. Daniel said: “I was extremely pleased with how I did for the British finals, I managed to beat an Independent Master who was more than 70-years-old; it was one of my aims going into it.

“I’m taking maths and further maths A Levels from September, which will help my chess even more, but I’m looking forward to the break.”
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